THOMASTON >> During the week that the great Michael Jordan turns the big 50, Maggie Eberhardt channeled her inner Jordan scoring the last 11 points for Thomaston and leading them to the Berkshire League Championship over Nonnewaug 55-48.

"We wanted it," said Eberhardt. "My teammates trusted me with the ball at the end."

Advertisement

In the first half, Nonnewaug's star player Katie Burke picked up two fouls early in the first quarter and then one early in the second quarter. Burke sat on the bench for the rest of the half, totaling four minutes of playing time in the half.

Without Burke on the court the Nonnewaug offense seemed lost, and it showed.

Thomaston took a commanding 27-16 lead into halftime.

Nonnewaug head coach Adam Brutting knew that he team wasn't out of it and that they had a chance to make it a game again.

"I have preached two things all year, never quit," said Brutting, "and everything we do, we do it as a team."

The Chiefs definitely didn't quit and even with their top scorer in foul trouble they came out and made it a game again.

The third quarter saw Burke go back into the lineup for the Chiefs and everyone saw why she is one of the best players in the Berkshire League, scoring at will and helping Chiefs not only comeback from 11 points down but helping them take the lead with three minutes left the in the third quarter.

"We knew what was coming with Katie in the third," said McMahon. "We knew she would come out aggressive."

"I knew that I had to make this game mine," said Burke, of her third quarter performance.

Going into the fourth quarter, everything each team had worked for all season came down to seven minutes, with Thomaston leading by one 38-37. Each team was seven minutes away from the championship.

Thirteen seconds into the fourth quarter, Burke took her fourth foul of the game. Taking the wind out of the Nonnewaug bench and giving fuel to the Thomaston fans.

Everyone in the gym thought that with Burke on the bench with 6:47 left in the regular season, Nonnewaug's season was over, except Nonnewaug.

"Sometimes the other girls get over looked because each game different girls step up for us," said Brutting.

That player tonight for Nonnewaug was Jess Fengler. When Burke went to the bench in the first half, the Chiefs offense looked completely lost, but once Fengler got into rhythm the Chiefs marched to the beat of her drum.

"This is something I have come to expect with her (Fengler)," said Brutting. "She's strong and when she got in she got to the basket."

With 3:31 left in the game and Thomaston up one 44-43, Eberhardt hit the biggest shot of the night, a turn-around mid-range jumper that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

"Maggie scores so many big baskets," said McMahon.

"I was so pumped up," said Eberhardt. "But it wasn't over, they could always come back."

But they didn't.

Right after that basket; Brutting brought back Burke into the game.

As Burke came got ready to come into the game, the Thomaston fans were chanting, "we want Katie!" knowing that she was one foul away from fouling out.

"I knew that if we were going to win the game I had to be on the court," said Burke.

But all the time the Chiefs spent coming back had drained them out.

"When you get down, it takes a lot to come back," said Brutting. "We were a little gassed."

Truth is so was Thomaston.

"We were all exhausted, we knew we had to step it up mentally," said Sydney Keith. "Coach was telling us if we really wanted it to go and get it."

"We were on empty," said McMahon. "So I said screw it, here we go."

That is exactly what the Golden Bears did, it also didn't hurt that with 38 seconds left up five, 51-46, Burke finally fouled out of the game.

McMahon was not surprised to see Burke play so aggressively even though she had four fouls.

"She's not that type of player," said McMahon.

With Burke out of the game, the title was just 38 seconds away from the Golden Bears.

As the buzzer his zero and the Thomaston fans rushed it the court, swarming the girls at center court, it was over the title was theirs.

"Nonnewaug played great," said McMahon. "This was our goal last year, this was our goal at the beginning of the year and it will be our goal next season."